Combined door-closer and fly-chaser.



No. 898,326; PATBN TEDSEPT. O, 1908,.

J. IOOSTANTINI.v COMBINED DOOR OLOSBR AND FLY OHASER.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 2B, 1907.

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JOHN COSTANTINI, OFTERCIO, COLORADO.

COMBINED DOOR-CLOSER AND FLY-CHASER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 28, 1907.

Patented Sept. 8, 1908.

Serial No. 390,493.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN OosTANTrNI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tercio, in the county of Las Animas and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Door-Closer and Fly-Chaser, of which the following is a s ecification, reference being had therein to t 1e accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in combined door closers and fly chasers, and has for its object the provision of means for facilitating closing, preferably, a screendoor, and synchronouslyT fanning or blowing the flies away from the door or screen when the same is opened or closed.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of a device constructed in accordance with the present invention, showing the same secured to the rear of, preferably, the frame of a screen-door. Fig. 2 is a view, in side elevation, of the structure depicted in Fig. 1, and showing the door and screen-door in transverse, vertical section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the structure depicted in Fig. 1, showing particularly one of the hubs of a fan or chaser. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the upper end of the supporting standard, and showing particularly the cord passing over a pulley or a roller.

It is a known fact that flies and other insects collect around an opening, and in accordance with the present invention, a screen-door, for closing an opening, is preferably, provided with a plurality of chasers or fans, which will blow the flies, or other insects, away from the opening as the door is swung wide open, and synchronously with the releasing of the door by a person opening the same, said door will be closed automatically through the action of, preferably, a coil spring, in one of the hubs of the fans or chasers.

To more clearly understand my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawin forming a part of the specification, in whic 1 designates the door-frame, and 2, preferably, a screen-door, hinged to said frame so as to swing outwardly.

Detachably secured to the outside of the screen-door frame, by any suitable fastening means 3, as for instance, bolts and nuts, is a vertical standard 4. This detachable standard 4 is provided with a longitudinally-extending groove 5, in which works the cord 6, which is attached to the upper fan or chaser 7 and a lower fan or chaser 8, as hereinafter described. The upper end of the standard 4 is, preferably, bifurcated, as at 9, affording free inspection from the outside of the door to the horizontal roller or pulley 10, which pilley or grooved roller 10, is journaled within a cut-out portion 11 of the upper, horizontal portion of the screen-door 2,. The portion 11 registers with the bifurcated portion 9 of the standard 4. Secured to the inside of the screen-door frame 2, and, prefer ably, contiguous to the cut-out portion 11 is a vertical pulley or grooved roller 12. This roller 12 is journaled upon the screen-door frame, by `means of a substantially U-shaped shaft 13. The cord 6 passes up through the groove 5 of standard 4, over the roller 10 and around the roller 12, as clearly seen in Fig. 4; the cord 6 being fixedly secured at its upper end to the door-frame, as at 14, by any suitable fastening means. The cord 6 is wound around the reduced portion 15 of the hub 16 of the fan 7, and it is also wound around the reduced portion 17 of the sectional hub of the fan 8. I/Vhile I have, preferably, shown the hub 16 of fan 7 of a solid structure, still it will be obvious that I may use a sectional hub in place thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The cord 6 is, preferably, secured near its lower end to the reduced portion 17 of the sectional hub, so that when the screen-door is opened outwardly and the cord being hXedly secured to the stationary door-frame, will be pulled, and thereby rotate both of the fans and wind the spring. Each of the hubs of the fans is, preferably, supported upon a peculiarly-constructed bolt 18. It will also be noted that the standard 4 is provided with sockets or cut-out portions, at 19, see Fig. 3, in which is seated the reduced portion of the fans. Each bolt 1S is provided with a cornparatively long screw-threaded portion 20, near one end, and at its opposite end with a short-screw-threaded portion 21. An integral shoulder 22 is formed upon the bolt 18 intermediate its ends, and this shoulder 22 bears against the inner face of the cut-out portion 19 of the standard 4. Nuts 23 are threaded upon the ends of the bolt, for holding the same upon the standard 4, and also the hub upon the body of the bolt. Y It is to be noted that in Fig. 3, the inner section 24 is loosely mounted upon the body of the bolt, between one of the nuts and shoulder 22, and that the outer section 25 is threaded upon the bolt, whereby this outer section 25 is secured against independent rotary movement, although the operator may rotate the outer section for adjusting the same upon the bolt. A coil spring 26 is secured near its outer end to the inner, rotatable, section 24,'

and the inner end of said spring is iiXedly secured to the laterally-extending sleeves 27 of the outer section 25 ol the hub. It will, therefore, be seen that, as the cord 6 is secured to the inner section, when a pull is eX- erted upon the cord, by reason of opening the screen-door, the inner section 24 will be rotated and the spring 26 will be wound, so that when a person opening the door releases the same, the spring will distend or unwind, and thereby close the door. As the cord 6 is wound around the reduced portion of the hub 16 of fan 7, the blades 28 of said ian 7 are synchronously rotatedat the same time the blades 29 of fan 8 are rotated.

The screen-door 2 can be covered by any suitable fly netting or wire-mesh, but in front of the fans or chasers, I, preferably, secure horizontal guide bars 30, soas to not only protect the fan, but also prevent accident by a erson coming in contact with the blades as t ey are rotated.

As a person passes through the door-frame and swings the door-screen upon its pivot or hinges, the fans are rotated and, as the screen swings open to its full extent, the

ilies or other insects are blown back from the opening, as the screen-door is thenA turns to its closed position, the fans will also berotated for driving the flies, or other insects, away from the opening.

What I claim is:v

A structure of the character described, comprising a door-frame and a door, a vertical standard detachably secured to the door and having cut-away portions arranged at suitable distances apart, said standard being also provided with a longitudinal groove therein, bolts having shoulders thereon projecting through the standards and the cutaway portions, the bolts having opposite screw-threaded ends, sectional fan hubs, the inner sections of which are rotatably mounted on the bolts and provided with drums arranged within the out-away portions of the standard, the outer sections of the hubs being adjustably secured to the outer screwthreads of the bolts, said outer sections having sleeves thereon provided with coiled springs thereon which are secured to and inclosed by said hubs, a cord suitably connected at one end and its other end secured to the drums which serve to wind the same thereon, and said cords serving to wind the springs, substantially as specilied.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN COSTANTINI Witnesses:

JACOB TEssARr, ROBERT E. LEE.- 

